[10/08/04 - 12:00 AM]Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs Scouts Nationwide for All-Girl Group to Be Featured on MTV's 'Making the Band 3'

[via press release from MTV]

SEAN �P. DIDDY� COMBS SCOUTS NATIONWIDE
FOR ALL-GIRL GROUP TO BE FEATURED
ON MTV�S �MAKING THE BAND 3�

Auditions Held in Los Angeles, Miami and New York City

October 8, 2004 - MTV: Music Television and Sean �P. Diddy� Combs today announced that open call auditions for MTV�s hit returning series �Making the Band 3� will kick-off on October 12th in Los Angeles. The series, set to premiere in Q1�05, will chronicle Combs as he sets out to form and develop an all girl band.

�I�m looking for no-nonsense, hardworking, talented individuals who can respect each other�s differences to achieve success as a group,� said Sean �P. Diddy� Combs. �I want those people to find an audition near them, pack their bags and come out for this chance of a lifetime.�

One open casting call and at least one call back are planned for each city, with a final round set to take place in New York City this month. Singers and vocalists who play instruments are welcome, however, no instruments will be provided. Contestants must be at least 18 years of age, and should bring an ID and a recent photo of themselves which will not be returned. Please check www.MTV.com for up to the minute details on the auditions.

Joining Sean Combs as a judge season will be Johnny Wright. Mr. Wright founded Wright Entertainment Group (WEG) in 1998 after years of honing his talents with groups like New Kids on the Block and Snap. Since that time, WEG has become best known for managing the careers of many of today�s chart toppers including NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, BoyzIIMen, Christina Milian, and Nick Cannon.

The first season of �Making the Band 2� on MTV followed the search for and formation of a hip hop group. The next season featured the group coming together and recording their debut album �Too Hot for TV� that sold over 200,000 copies in its first week and went gold - all under P. Diddy�s tight supervision. In its third and final season, Da Band tried to take their group to the next level, but ultimately, they did not meet P. Diddy�s expectations and he disbanded the ensemble.

The final and third season of �Making the Band II,� which featured P. Diddy developing the hip hop group Da Band, was watched by more than 40 million viewers, and ranked #1 in its time period vs. all basic cable among P12-34.

The franchise began with the first installment of �Making the Band,� a real-life drama and breakthrough concept in music and television that chronicled the private and public moments of O-Town�s five band members as they ascended into pop stardom. �Making the Band� with O-Town ran for two seasons on ABC, and aired for one season on MTV.

Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group (BBWEG) is one of the world�s preeminent urban entertainment companies, encompassing a broad range of businesses including recording, music publishing, artist management, television and film production, recording facility, marketing and advertising, apparel and restaurants. With a collection of businesses whose annual sales are quickly approaching $300 million annually and an employee base that is 600 strong, Mr. Combs is largely responsible for the pop appeal of urban entertainment. Formed in 1994, the flagship company of BBWEG is Bad Boy Records. Today, Bad Boy�s annual sales have reached an overall average of $100 million with more than 75 million records sold worldwide by an impressive artist roster which includes multi-platinum acts the Notorious B.I.G., Mase, 112, Dream and P. Diddy; platinum artists Faith Evans, Carl Thomas and Black Rob; gold artists Total and Craig Mack; and promising up-and-coming artists such as G. Dep, Loon and Cheri Denis. Bad Boy recently moved to 1440 Broadway New York which will become the corporate headquarters housing all Combs� business entities.

MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV2, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, and Spike TV, as well as The Digital Suite from MTV Networks, a package of thirteen digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.